Možnosti – Stašek Marek (2021)

The poet's tenth collection deepens and expands his previous work in an original way. The very title reveals that the author is exploring various possibilities for shaping his poetics; alongside a small epic form, he writes a collage or a poetic fragment next to an aphorism, and incorporates an inspirational quote into personal thoughts. The fundamental tone here is the theme of time, realized in many ways and dimensions. Vivid images from the flowing world around us or snapshots in historical settings are always deep reflections on temporality. However, the author makes this fundamental, and from the perspective of human perception, incomprehensible determination painfully felt – for instance, in images of a calm, innocent presence, where seemingly nothing is happening yet. He does notice, however, the unsettling corrosion of this elusive present moment, hints and forebodings of future demise, which is already somehow firmly embedded in the temporal structure, or conversely, he looks at this moment from the perspective of events that have already occurred. Thus, the author circles around the moment when things, events, and life itself cease to be from many sides and angles, showing their entrapment in human consciousness, where everything begins and ends.